Golden

A little background: I have a lot of fragrances. A LOT. Too many. Many are being sadly neglected because they are out of sight out of mind (I don't display my collection because, hello, I don't want them to go bad so they are in trunks and in cupboards, ideally in their original boxes...but I digress). Because I am a total nerd, and at the suggestion of another Fragantian, I alphabetized my Fragantica shelf by perfume house so I can more readily keep up with my inventory (hey, it makes me happy). Yesterday I decided to attempt to start at the top of the list and work my way down so I can actually start getting some use out of these bottles of juice that I paid oh so dearly for. So yesterday's perfume was Chocomusk. Loved it. Today, I put on Golden. But first, I re-read the reviews. Yikes. I wasn't so sure about this. Lots of mixed reactions out there. So I decided I'd play it a bit safe and not overdo it. Since I own the oil, I only dabbed a bit on my wrists and nowhere else (just in case it became a scrubber later). My husband, who hardly ever comments on my perfumes, said to me "Mmmm, you smell really good." I was shocked. "You NEVER mention my perfume. Why do you like this one?" "You smell like you're in the Mediterranean on a beach somewhere having lunch and there's a beautiful candle nearby. Like that scent really transports you somewhere." Very interesting! So this is what I get, and this might sound a little weird: warm caramel vanilla mixed with a...best way to describe it is a shaving cream smell. Kind of fresh yet maybe slightly spearminty?, but just ever so much. You know the shaving cream that starts off as a gel and then when you start rubbing it around and it turns white? That smell? That's it to me. Now, I can imagine that would not be everyone's cup of tea, but I really like it. It's a clean smell mixed with a gourmand smell. And to many people that might smell weird. But apparently, both my husband and I love it!

I'm not a fan of unisex fragrances and this is definitely unisex... it's neither masculine or feminine. However, layer this with Oudy from Al-Rehab and it becomes very masculine and smells amazing! For the ladies out there that love feminine scents, layer Golden with Roses by Al-Rehab and I can almost guarantee you'll smell gorgeous! Golden is absolutely an autumn fragrance, especially for autumns in New England and North East. There is just something about it that just brings out an autumn vibe and the crispness, freshness, and florals of the season. I have both the spray and the oil and I prefer the oil for its more natural notes and longevity. If you try it and find it so-so like I did, try layering it with another Al Rehab that is more floral/rose if you are a woman. Or something that is more woody/oud/musky for guys, depending on your tastes of course. Trust me, Golden layers very nicely and probably better than any other Al-Rehab in my experience. I have 40+ Al Rehab oils and 5 or so sprays, so I have a good idea about these value-based fragrances. They are true gems and one hell of a bargain. They might not be the best for nights out on the town, romantic dates, work/office or clubbing. But they are perfect for late evenings at home or bedtime.

I see that not many people here really likes this. Well, I LOVE it. So much actually that it just knocked Atelier Colognes Ambre Nue down from the Top 5 shelf on my profile page. Oud and caramel should get married, cause they are amazing together! I have tried 11 scents from Al-Rehab so far, and this is my absolute favourite. I would classify it as an oriental woody gourmand. It starts off very sweet and creamy, almost like vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce. Or like Crème brûlée. But there is something warm, deep and cozy lurking behind the initial sweetness. It is the amber, and it really smoothes out the dessert-ness of the scent and brings it into that lovely oriental drydown, where also the oud says hello, although very softly. I've worn this scent twice now, and the first time I wore it the drydown was warm, smooth, ambery and sligtly woody, with a soft lingering milky sweetness from vanilla and caramel. The second time I detected a faint smoky note in the drydown, almost like oud mixed with incense. Very interesting and lovely. Sillage is moderate to strong, longevity is excellent! I'm so smitten with this perfume oil! I wanna eat my arm after I've applied it. xD

I am reviewing the oil and absolutely love it. Nice when massaged in after a bath or shower. Golden is unique and I think the name describes it to a tee. Fairly linear and close to the skin but lasts 6hrs plus for a very cheap price. Cant smell any Oud but the caramel and florals are well blended to make this suitable for either sex. It is difficult to classify in these days of uber-sweet gourmand type fragrances. As a clue it is nothing like the Amen/Angel type of fragrance that seems so widely copied by many fragrance manufacturers but I have never smelled anything similar. It is a fragrance that I would wear to please myself and not others. Makes me feel pleasantly perfumed without invading anyone's space. I am thinking of buying the 35ml spray also to see if this helps with the projection factor. If it doesn't who cares for such a price you can just experiment. It has been a cool day here in the U.K and Golden was a perfect choice. I have bought other Al Rehab fragrances and they are super. Think I will increase my collection each week! my rating out of 10 for lasting power 9, for fragrance itself 9 and for projection 5.

I bought this under the impression that I was going to get a gourmand, and I was very wrong. Initially, this wasn't at all what I wanted, and I remember finding it having a masculine edge to it. I rediscovered it several months later and put it on. The beginning is VERY different to the drydown, you NEED to put this on your skin! Smelling right from the cap, what I first perceived as masculine, I now perceived as a soapy, classic perfume for women. However, this blooms on the skin. It slowly becomes warmer, thicker, more balsamic and like nectar. This is the scent of the warm, slightly sweaty and salty skin of a 1940's woman after a trip to the beach, with traces of yesterday's perfume and sunscreen. Nostalgic, comforting, warming, summery yet reminiscent of the colors of autumn. Balsamic, floral, classic and traditionally perfume-y. No caramel, only warm organic sweetness. It reminds me slightly of Coco (Chanel), my other favourite warm, ambery floral. It's just as womanly and alluring. I highly recommend both, as well as Hex by Alkemia.

I baulked at buying this one because it is so polarising but I'm so glad I did. Golden so lives up to its name. It is like autumn sunlight through yellow leaves, soft, golden and memorable. It's largely gentle sweet amber and vanilla fragrance. Petit grain features too. It reminds me very strongly of Mitsouko edp, the current version. Mitsouko is unwearable for me because, although I love it, it is too intense and piercing/screechy on me. This is like Mitsouko without the sharp edges and better longevity. This doesn't read as dirty to me or oudy for that matter. Maybe the batches vary? I'm getting a back up bottle of this one. I read all the reviews here and, indeed, they are all over the place as the previous reviewer states. I doubt mine is going to clarify the matter. The other opinion that seems closest to mine, is Labaloo's review. Edit: I had an epiphany with this one the other day. I realised it smells exactly like a London Fog (earl grey tea latte with a shot of vanilla syrup).

This is mesmerizing 😍 it is soft vanilla, warm amber, sweet light floral, a cloud of caramel. It is golden. It's a golden halo. It's similar to golden sand but I think I like this one even more. It's fuller, I love the very very soft sweet florals in this. It is golden vanilla amber and that golden halo envelops after it has mixed with body heat. Upon first application it is linear and bland almost non existent. But once it heats up it is gorgeous. It is 38 degrees Fahrenheit today in Minnesota and this is singing beautifully . There is also some spice in here that really rounds it all out. Mmmm it is delicious. Initially I was going to use this as a base for other fragrances but this is it's own well crafted fragrance and does not need anything but itself. It blows my mind how amazing this is! It projects too and goes on for hours. I usually can't smell my fragrances but I get wafts of this and it's good stuff!

This is so good. It kind of reminds me of a masculine version of Hypnotic Poison without the bitter almonds and with caramel as the main player instead of vanilla. It's sweet, powdery, soapy, creamy, gourmand but mature and not sickengly sweet like LVEB or Black Opium. I find this totally unisex but I gave this to a man who loves Zara Silver and he really likes this too. He wears this more as a night, formal scent and he really smells like heaven when he wears this. Warm and exotic, so clean and delicious!. On me this smells sweeter, my skin seems to amp the caramel over the white flowers notes. Try it if you like Hypnotic Poison or sweet men's scents. Sillage is very good and lasts the whole day and is even noticeable after a shower. Do not be afraid of the oud notes because here the oud wood is barely noticeable and lacks the medicinal quality

I can't help but be reminded of Shalimar here- the bright bergamot and subdued floral heart over the powdery base of smoky woods and labdanum with vanilla and the animalic touch of civet... golden indeed! And yet... not exactly like Shalimar either... there is a "bitter flower" here- like marigold or chrysanthemum that makes it different- maybe like a perfume that I have yet to smell that was heavily influenced by Shalimar? The drydown smells a lot like Shalimar though... Somehow, if you've been comparing the Al Rehab dupes with the originals, you see there is a sly connection in the packaging colors and names... haven't identified this one yet. Green and gold... hmm. I detect neither oudh nor caramel here, btw- though I can understand the impression within the composition.

I’ve always enjoyed unisex scents and I love this on my boyfriend he smells so good! I’ve always leaned on liking men’s cologne, when I was younger I adored Eternity for men. So I love that both he and I can wear this but I think it suits him so much more. I think it’s the amber and the oudh which to me just smells woodsy not like oudh to me at all. I think the two help make this a scent a man can wear too. So to me I say this leans pretty evenly male and female. On me the floral notes and carmel make this a lovely scent on me. I love the drydown it turns into such a good skin scent. Not that it smells like a typical skin scent I mean the notes just blend really well with my skin. The amber in this really makes it such a great scent imo. Love this!

Another hidden gem from Al-Rehab. As with most cheap houses, they're fairly hit and miss - some of their perfumes very much smell as cheap as they are, but a few smell deceptively good and expensive. This is one of them! STRONG and long-lasting ambery caramel/vanilla - supposedly unisex but I'd definitely say it leans more on the feminine. Either way, as a guy I still wear it and don't care, because it's amazing value for money. Outperforms the majority of more expensive and supposedly 'higher end' perfumes of that type. I've gotten more compliments on it than on most of my designer fragrances, too, so I'm not the only one who thinks this is great. Absolutely a steal for this price, and honestly even for a considerably higher price too.

Upon second wearing, this perplexing fragrance is kind of reminding me of vintage Kouros- or perhaps another oriental fougere for men circa 1980's. And then, at times I get a flicker of White Diamonds too. Something about the soapy-floral accord. I honestly don't know what to think or what to compare 'Golden' to... though the base/drydown still seems Guerlainesque to me. My partner insists that 'Golden' is "too feminine" for him to wear comfortably, yet I don't find it overtly feminine... it truly straddles the line wickedly, and is a luxurious choice for those into this kind of complex, vintage vibe. It's certainly growing on me!

I like this sooo much, what a pleasant surprise! It’s a very potent, highly retro scent. It smells very familiar to me, maybe I have smelled something similar as a child. Perhaps one of the discontinued Avons or Yves Rochers? Anyhow, this is a sweet, deep, enveloping scent. The amber is warm and on the sparkling side, not morose at all and I think the vanilla-oud-floral notes combo create a sweet but woody vibe, something dry and compact, but rich in aroma. All in all, it’s a GREAT choice for those who love scents that lean a bit vintage and who expect a great kick from the perfumes. This one really provides it!

In so surprised at all the negative reviews for this. I put it on and loved it right off the bat. I don't find bergamot masculine...why would it be? I think its use in this perfume to be brilliant. It keeps the lovely dark vanilla and caramel from being too syrupy. It lasts forever and has astonishing projection for a roll-on. The name sums it up for me, Golden. It's golden and round and buttery with that lovely uplifting citrus to give it a little sparkle. Love it!

Haha ok, I think I've got it ! The drydown of this nice, sparkling, cozy, long-lasting little ambery treat is close - really really really close, at least on my skin... although there is a slightly more caramelized note in Golden - to gorgeous Van Cleef & Arpels' Van Cleef ! (Remember : Susan is haunted by Amarige, Nebras by pre-reformulation Boudoir... still with that typical and delightful attar-oil intensity and longevity.) This Is fun :)

inspiegabilmente concepito per uomini, questa piccola delizia è gradevole e calda senza essere invadente. le note gourmand di caramello, immediate ed evanescenti, lasciano spazio in breve tempo ad un accordo ambrato lievemente floreale. Golden non spicca per complessità, ma è confortevole ed estremamente economico.

This is one of my favorite vanillas of all time. It smells incredibly similar to Snif Vanilla Vice to my nose.

Received this in the post today and since I was alreay wearing perfume decided to test some on the back of my hand. As if I hadn't always been preaching to everyone not to spot test Al Rehabs? (Well at least I spread it from one back of the hand to the other to rub in a little). Once again, the smaller the concentration the better it will potentially get. So my first impression brings back memories of my favourite (aka best smelling) suntan lotion ever, it was Piz Buin in the brown bottle. I always felt that this lotion had a scent like oleander, at least that's what my nose was telling me. Then I am reminded of a rather inexpensive amber scent of some sort (I can't remember the name). Eventually, as the fragrance started to develop, I had to wash my hands which only left a tiny trace of fragrance back. Now this is getting interesting. I finally get something that could be called a sort of Hypnotic Poison for men, backed up with an amber like in L'Ambre des Merveilles. Need to try again and use a tiny amount on warm skin. Note to self: never judge an Al-rehab by sticking the roll-on under your nostril. Never spot test... etc... etc... Update: today I have done the proper thing and applied Golden all over thinly and generously. I am afraid, nothing much has changed. It definitely wins over spot testing, but at the end of the day this leopard doesn't change its spots. For any of you guys in the UK, this will appear in my swap list now :-) Jan14: trying this once again. I am still oddly fascinated by this scent... it has that vibe of a hot day at the beach, a sweet and salty mix, like when you come home from holiday and unpack your case and everything smells of beach and sand (in a nice way). So I guess in the end it is a keeper. The drydown reminds me of Eau des Merveilles, too.

I am new to perfume oils, and they sure feel different from EDT sprays. Rubbing on a splash of Golden feels like spreading a warm layer of gold over my body. I generally stay away from both sweet and floral scents, but Golden's level of sweetness is not overpowering. This scent seems to fluctuate on my skin. It is a delicious not-too-sweet caramel/vanilla mix that sits on my skin, which is periodically lifted by florals which comes and goes in wafts. Personally I could do without the floral upliftment but it is a nice affect and makes this unisex. Ideal for colder weather. Not my favorite type of fragrance but I cant wait to try this during winter. Longevity is even more better than all the other great performing Al Rehab's and sillage is moderate. Scent : 13/20 Longevity : 9/10 Projection : 6/10 Total : 7/10 ... Warm, soft caramel scent which I will be eating up come the colder months.

I think this is a really nice fragrance, but it has too much of something in it and I'm not exactly sure what it is. Might be the amber as I can only pick out a couple of notes. I do like it tho, but won't be wearing it. I don't think I could take it all day. I've tried several scents from this line and so far haven't hit on anything I can wear. This is the most powerful one I think of all that I've tried. I get some light caramel but it's mainly amber, which is my favorite note. I don't get any vanilla or musk either. Somewhat powdery also. I'd recommend it to try because it's very cheap as far as price goes. I wouldn't mind being around a female wearing this.